How to Help Prevent Pipes from Freezing and Bursting

Think about what happens to a can of soda left forgotten in the freezer to chill. While your intentions were simply to enjoy a frosty beverage sooner, after several hours you open your freezer only to find a huge mess. This is because the water inside the can expands as it freezes, and after it has expanded too much, the can explodes.

The pipes in your home or office building react the same way as the temperatures drop outside. If there’s any water left inside a pipe, it can freeze and expand, causing the pipe to burst and leaving behind some serious water damage in the aftermath.

Why do Pipes Freeze and Burst in the Winter?

The ice forming in a pipe does not typically cause it to break right where the ice blockage occurred. In this case, when there’s a complete blockage of ice in a pipe, the continued freezing and expansion inside the pipe causes water pressure to increase downstream between the blockage and the closed faucet at the end. The increase in water pressure is the actual a cause of a burst pipe, and the burst generally occurs where little or no ice at all has formed.

Depending on the climate you reside in, there can be regional differences in the way pipes are installed in homes and office buildings. In the northern areas of the country, water pipes are generally located on the inside of the building insulation to help protect them from the winter’s subfreezing temperatures. In the milder southern regions, pipes are more likely to be located in unprotected areas outside of the building insulation, making them far more vulnerable during a winter cold spell.

However, buildings throughout the nation can all be at risk of pipes freezing and bursting when the temperatures outside fall to 20 degrees or below. Whenever pipes have the opportunity to come into contact with cold air, whether due to insufficient insulation in areas like the attic and crawl spaces or due to holes and cracks in the siding, it’s possible for pipes to burst.

How to Keep Pipes from Freezing at Your Home or Business this Season

In many parts of the country, the cold air has settled in and in most places, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. For this reason, it’s important to understand how to help keep pipes from freezing so you are not faced with costly water damage to your property.

Water in pipes freezes when heat in the winter is transferred to subfreezing air, so the best way to keep water in pipes from freezing is to slow or stop this transfer of heat. If possible, keep water pipes from being exposed to subfreezing temperatures by installing them only in heated spaces and out of attics, crawl spaces and vulnerable outside walls. Of course, in an existing structure, what’s done is done. However, there are some steps you can take to help prevent pipes from freezing and bursting:

Add more insulation

When it comes to preventing pipes from freezing, the more insulation the better. If you can access them, any vulnerable pipes can be fitted with insulation sleeves or wrapping to help slow the heat transfer. Your local hardware store should carry a variety of materials, like foam rubber, fiberglass sleeves or even pipe sleeves with extra-thick insulation to provide the added protection needed.

Seal up cracks and holes

Along with adding insulation, make sure to inspect outside walls and foundations where water pipes are located. If you notice any small holes, such as from cable or telephone lines, or any type of crack, seal these up with caulking to keep the cold air from reaching the pipes.

Let the water run

During extreme cold temperatures, letting an outside faucet drip can help prevent a pipe from bursting. Opening the faucet provides relief from the excessive pressure that builds between the faucet and an ice blockage, lessening the risk of bursting. However, keep in mind that leaving a faucet dripping does waste water, so only those pipes especially vulnerable to freezing should be left flowing – and the drip can be very slight.

Be mindful of the thermostat

If you’re going to be away from the building for an extended period, it might be tempting to turn off the heat altogether to save some money on your energy bills. However, if an extreme cold spell comes through while you’re gone, pipes that would otherwise be safe could freeze and burst.

Another solution to this situation is to drain the pipes completely of water before you know you’re going to be away from the building. If there’s no water in the pipes, there’s no water than can freeze, expand and cause the pipes to burst. Shut off the main valve and allow every faucet to run until they’re emptied of water.

For more tips and details about preventing pipes from freezing and bursting, check out this document AmTrust’s Loss Control Department created with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

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This material is for informational purposes only and is not legal or business advice. Neither AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates represents or warrants that the information contained herein is appropriate or suitable for any specific business or legal purpose. Readers seeking resolution of specific questions should consult their business and/or legal advisors.